Known solutions for controlling several functions in a motor vehicle are for example the one disclosed in DE10207872 which refers to a device for selecting information from a menu structure and controlling a screen display. It comprises a joystick lever that pivots about its longitudinal axis for menu selection highlighting the field on the display. The joystick has a rotating and clicking top button and it has a start position and it can be moved with two degrees of freedom relative to this point. An additional movement of the activation member enables the menu to be reset to its highest menu layer.
Further prior art solutions provides the use of other structures for controlling functions (typically multimedia functions) on a motor vehicle such as buttons, rotating, jog wheels, etc. These structures, including the joystick lever, involve the provision of a multiplicity of items scattered inside the vehicle around the driving position (steering wheel, cockpit, central instrument board, etc.) so that they can be reached by the driver.
This has the disadvantage that the more functions to be controlled the more control devices (buttons, switches, levers, etc.) would have to be provided for that control. Dedicated control devices further increases the system total cost.